Valve.



I. E. MERCER.

A VALVE. .AFPLICIATIDN FILED SEPT. 7, 1912.

1,049,123, Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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I. E. MERCER.

VALVE. A PPLIOATIOI FILED SEPT. '1, 1912.

t 1,049,123. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IVOR EDWIN IVIIEIRCIER, 0F GRAVESEND, ENGLAND.

VALVE.

sp'ecifieation of Letters Patent.

vimc-enten Dec.'31,1912.

Application, led September 7, 1912. Serial No. 719,182.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IvoR EDWIN MERCER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at The Cedars, Kent Road, Gravesend, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Improveiiients in and Relating to Valves and the Like, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to means for insuring the tightness of valves of the lift type t'or Huid-pressure engines, and it is directed to that well-known class of such means comprisiii;r principally av tubular member adapted to form a movable seat for the valve for which purpose it is arranged about the valve passage or port so that it can iiiove axially during a portion of the opening and closing operations of the valve.

Therefore the `member moves for a short' distance along with the valve during the initial opening thereof, or in other words the member follows the valve, while during the tinal closing of the valve the ineinber likewise ,moves or goes with it. The following movement of' the member is eti'ected to a greater or lesser extent by the pressure of the fiuid upon one end or part. thereof, aided by a spring or springs, while the reverse movement is accomplished by the valve itself under the agency of its actuating mechanism. `Stops are provided iii connection with the tubular member for limiting its movements, and likewise piston rings or other packing for preserving a tight joint. 1

My invention consists in the construction. ai'raiigeiiient and combination of the atoi'einentioned components in genei.'al,with the object of obtaining eompactness .of the whole, and with the further object of giving easy access to the spring or springs and of maintaining it. or them out ofcontact with the fluid whereby it or they is or are not subject directly to the heat thereof and thus coolness is secured.

I will now fully describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figui-e l is a vertical sectional elevation ot' part of a vertical inteiiial combustion tour-cycle engine showing the application of the invention to an inlet valve and also to g an exhaust valve. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional elevations at right angles to one another depicting the invention applied t0 a steam engine inlet valve of the double-beat type. And Fig. 4 is a vert-ical sectional elevation of another application of the invention to a. valve for an internal combustion engine; in other words the figure represents a iiiodii'ication of the construction shown in Fig. l.

The same reference numerals are adopted throughout to designate the same or corresponding parts, and of such parts already generally explained, and referring first to the figures generically, 8 denotes the valve, 9 the valve passage or port, 10 the tubular movable member, 11. the portion of the member subject to the pressure of the fluid, 12 the spring or springs, and 13 the limiting means or stop device, while 14 and 15 indicate the joint-packing applied in connection with the member 10.

Iwill4 now deal specifically with Fig. 1 wherein t-he valve 8 o-n the left-hand side of the figure, and which is shown open, is the exhaust valve, While the valve 8 on the opposite side of the figure, and which is shown closed, is in the inlet valve. Both valves 8, 8 are identical, hence the description I am about to give is equally applicable. The valve 8 is of a well-known type and arrangement with a single valve element proper or head, while its operating mechanism, which is indicated at 16, is likewise of an ordinary kind. lThe 'passage 9 of the valvel 8 is formed by shaping the head of the cylinder 17 and the adjoining part of the water jacket 18 as represented. T he tubular member 10 is in the form of a cylindrical liner yfitted in the valve passage 9 so that itmay slide or iiioveendwise therein either inward or outward with respect to the vert-ical axis of the cylinder 17 as depicted, respectively, at the right and left hand sides of the figure. The inward movement is effected by the valve .8 when being closed by its mechanism 16, while the outward movement is accom-h plished by the fluid pressure within the cylinder 17 (when such exists) acting upon the inner end 11 of the member 10, and, as I will presently explain, by t-lie action of the spring 1Q which thus operates either alone or in conjunction wit-hithe cylinder pressure. 'Ille member 10 is formed at its outer end with an outwardly -extending fiange 19 whose. outer face is recessed to wholly constitute the seat. 20 for the valvel 8.- The inner face of the flange 19 is employedrto forni one abutment 21 for the spring 12, the

complementary abutment 22 being obtained by fashioniug the cylinder head as illustrated, and between these abutments 21y and 22 the spring 12 .is situated so as to act as 5 explained, viz., to always tend .to force or slide the lmember 1.0 outward. To limit this movement it is necessary to providethe while its arrangement relatively to theinember 10 presents the attributeof easy access. The packing 14 and the packing 15, which is in the form of split metal rings of the customary' kind, is respectively applied to the body of the member 10 and to the flange 19V in .'orderlto reserve a fluid-tight joint and a water-tigliit joint between it and the valve passage 9.

Having described the construction, l will now explain the operation.

Assuming an explosion has taken place in the cylinder 17, thenv both valves 8, 8 are closed and 'held closed by the mechanisms 16, 16, and the members 10, 10 are pressed tightly against the valves 8, 8 by the pressure within the cylinder 17 and by the action of the springs 12, 12 as illustrated at the right-hand side of the figure, and thus a tight joint is obtained at eachvalve 8. Sup posln'g now the exhaust valve 8 (the letthand one) is opened subject to its mechanisin 16, then the inemberl() slides or moves with it or, in other words, follows it up unde r the influence of the pressure of the fluid within the cylinder 17, and under the pressure exerted by the spring 1 2 until its outer end contacts with the stop device or screw 13 and thus the further motion of the member 10 is prevented, whereupon it reposes in this posit-ion until the lvalve S in returning to close the. passage 9 under the agency of the mechanism 16, first contacts with it at the seating'20 and eventually carries it back or returns it to its original position against the Huid pressure (if any) within the cylinder 17 acting upon its end 11, and against the pressure of the spring 12, which preseures or pressure re-act or reacts when the closing action of the valve 8 is completed to press the member 10, or, in other words, the

seating 2O tightly against the valvel 8, all as 4shown at the right-hand side of the ligure, whereby the requisite tightness isI insured and maintained. Supposing' lastly, the inlet valve 8 (the one at the right-hand side of the ligure) isopened by its mecha. msm 16, then the member 1Q operates as explained with regard to the exhaust valve, with the exception that asthere is little or no pressurewithin the cylinder 17 the sprinf` 12 alone -accoinplishesits movement to fol low the valve 8 in opening. When the mechanism 16 operates to close the valve 8, the act-ion of it and the member 10 are as already described.

-Now as to Figs. 2 and 3 which illustrate a steam valve of the double-beat type, and therefore having two valve elements or heads 23 and 24:. rlhe seating for the upper element or head 23, as well as that for the lower element or head 24, is formed by a member 10 recessed as at 20 therefor, as in the previous example. The upper member 10 is slidably fitted in the part 25 of the valve casing, chest or box 26 and so is the lower member 10 inthe passage 9, split-ring packing 14 being applied as illustrated for the usual purpose. The lower end 11 ot each member 10 is subject to the steam pressure so that when it exists it acts to force the member 10 toward, or into contact with, the. corresponding valve element or with the lower meinbei 1,0, each member is fitted with springs 12, 12 which act, irrespective of the steam pressure, upon the end 11, for which purpose they are situated being, chest or box 26. The operation ot the 100 valve mechanism 16 in closing the valve is, as before, iwainst the hsteam pressure and the act-ion oi1 the springs 12, 12. As in the other example, the arrangement ot the spring-s 12, 12 tends to accessibility and pro- 105 tection from heat.

.In use, assuming, as depicted in the hgures, the valve 8 is closed by the mechanism 16 and there is. pressure acting upon the end 11 of the member 10, then the springs 11o l2, 12 are stretched between their abutments or attachments 2l and 22 due to the action of the valve element or head'23 or 2l pressing down the member 10, and thus the edect of 'the springs 12, 12, as well as the edect of the 115 steam pressure acting u on the end 11 of the member, is to force t ie latter'into tight contact with its valve velement or 'head thereby insuring the requisite tightness.

Now on opening the valve 8 by the mecha- 120 nism 16,. the member 10, under the influence ot the steam pressure on its end 11 and head. "Though only shown in Fig. 3 in connection the reaction of the springs 12, 12, follows the i valve 8 until the abut-ments or attachments 21, ai Contact with .the up slots 13, 13 and in this position the member 10 remains until it is returned to its original osition by the action of the element or hea i)23 or 24: upon'its seating-20 on closing the valve 8 by the mechanism 1. 'lfheele- 130 r end of the ment or head 23 of the valve 8 should entirely cover its seating 20 as this is forced against the element or head 23 by the springs l2, l2 only except for What pressure may exist in the cylinder 17, which pressure is negligible quantity at certain periods of the stroke in a condensing engine.

Lastly as to Fignflm'hioh is closely relatedy to Fig. l. Here the member l0 is arranged as a circular sleeve to the valve passage 9 upon which it is designed to slide or move; the part 1l upon which the l'luid pressure acts is arranged as an internal flange at the outer end of the member l0; the spring l2 is arranged in direct contact with the member l0; and the abutment 2l for the spring 12 is formed by a projection from the member l0 and designed to also act as the stop device 13, though such may be constituted by a set-- screw as indicated by the dotted lines at V13.

Also the abutment 22 is slightly modified as indicated. In all other respects the arrangement and operation are the same as eX- plained with regard to Fig.. l, and as will be clear from the reference numerals shown.

What claim as my invent-ion and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z Means for insuring the tightness of lift the combination ot' the valve with a movable tubular member provided with the valve seat and having a portion adapted to receive the fluid "pressure, a springdevire acting on said member7 and a stop device for said member.

IVoR nDWlN MERCER.

Witnesses:

` B. KNETTNER,

JAMES ANDREW HARVEY.

Avalves for luid pressure engines7 comprising 

